10 Ways to Stay Motivated to Hike While Pregnant

Originally posted July 2015. I was raised in the Southern California Mountains. I had a father who instilled a love of nature and hiking into my soul. It is a part of me. It is my therapy for recovering from a tough week. The thought of simply being out in the woods, on a mountain top, by a stream, just any beautiful spot outdoors, is what gets me going each morning. So in April of 2014, when my OBGYN told me I had to remain on bedrest for the remaining 4 months of my pregnancy, it was like someone had taken a part of me and thrown it out the window. 4 months, in a bed, only being able to get up to pee (I even had to sit in the shower), it felt like death warmed up. I realize that many women have hard pregnancies, and some of those pregnancies were worse than mine was. Yet that didn't change the fact that mine was still terrible, for me. As an outdoor enthusiast who found that being outdoors was what rejuvenated my soul, I was lost. Jumping forward a few months to August of 2014, I gave birth via scheduled C-section to a beautiful and healthy baby boy. We were in the hospital for a week before we could go home, but it was OVER. And as cliche as it may sound, all of the pain, the inside hell, was WORTH IT. I had a being I had created and he was perfect. But then what. My body had been ravaged by the pregnancy and the C-section. For another 2 weeks after returning home, it was painful to move, to breastfeed, to try to get to my crying baby without my uterus feeling like it would fall out of my body, and this terrified me. Would I ever be able to hit the trails again? Of course with time, the physical healing eventually came, but I was facing another challenge. All of the turmoil that was going on in my head and heart during the pregnancy, and the shock of how hard being a new mother was took it's toll on me. I felt sad often, when I knew I should be feeling joy that my child was alive and healthy, and that my body was on a great path to recovery. But finding the energy to hike, let alone get out of the house, was a daunting task. I began seeing a therapist who specialized in pregnancy and postpartum depression. It did help, to a point. I was able to say things to her that I was even scared to voice to myself, and oh how relieving that was. But I knew deep down what my true issue was. I was inside, all the time. I felt like the outdoors was drifting away from my heart. I finally realized that the ONLY way to find ME again, was to just do it! So my husband and I went to find the best baby hiking backpack we could find and planned a hike that same weekend. That first hike post-partum changed everything. I remember waking up that morning and telling my husband that no matter how many excuses I came up with to remind me that this was my path back to myself and to not let me quit. We got to the trail head, and that was it. I was home. I was free. And to make everything even better, I had the beautiful human being I created sleeping peacefully on my back as I walked through the woods, my loving and supportive husband at my side. It was hard. My body was nowhere NEAR where it had once been. The muscles that had turned to jelly during those 4 months of bed rest were screaming at me to stop. I didn't listen. I kept going. 10 months later I am still going. I make it a point to hit the trails at LEAST twice a week. It has been the best therapy I could have hoped for. I even joined a group of other like-minded parents called "Hike it Baby." It has been a life-saver, just seeing all of these little beings outside in the wildnerness. With each breath of fresh air, each sweat drop that drips down my face, each babbling brook, and each gorgeous vista, I'm 100% back to my old self. I smile all the time. I laugh. I have energy for myself AND my child. If I could share one word of wisdom with those mothers and fathers who could be feeling the way I did, it is to GET OUTDOORS. Even if you're not a rugged hiking type, just get your sweet little ones in a stroller and go for a walk. Let the sun shine down those magical vitamin D rays onto your face. Let the wind make a mess of your hair. There is something about the outdoors that I just can't explain, but what I can explain is that it works your inner-self, far better than any pill could ever do.   Mary Beth Burgstahler was born and raised in the Southern California Mountains and attended college at Cal State University Monterey Bay where she majored in Human Communications.  Having lived her entire life in Wilderness areas, she gained an affinity for the outdoors and outdoor activities, one of the main reasons Mary Beth agreed to moved to her husband's home-state of Minnesota in June of 2013.  Outdoor adventure abounds in the Land of Ten Thousand Lakes. Shortly after their move, Mary Beth and her husband, Jacob, welcomed their first son, Jackson, in August of 2014.  They now reside in White Bear Lake, MN. ABOUT OUTGROWN OutGrown is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works to create a world where everyone can enjoy the physical and mental benefits of spending time outside. We are focused on creating opportunities and removing barriers to access so families with babies and young children can take their first steps outside. We believe all families have the right to connect with nature, benefit from spending time outdoors and be inspired to a lifelong love of nature. Since its grassroots inception in 2013, OutGrown is a growing community of 280,000 families and over 300 volunteer Branch Ambassadors. More information on all of our programs can be found at WeAreOutGrown.org    EDITORS NOTE: We hope you enjoyed reading this article from OutGrown. We’re working hard to provide our community with content and resources that inform, inspire, and entertain you. But content is not free. It’s built on the hard work and dedication of writers, editors, and volunteers. We make an investment in developing premium content to make it easier for families with young children to connect with nature and each other. We do not ask this lightly, but if you can, please make a contribution and help us extend our reach.

Hiking is a vital part of my family. When my oldest, Jack, was a baby, we easily went on 2-3 hikes a week, with or without Hike it Baby. We are all high-energy people who need to move to stay happy. In fact, hiking with Jack sleeping sweetly on my chest was our bonding time almost every day when he was a newborn. As Jack grew into a toddler, it was our special time as a family to continue to bond. My husband works a compressed works nights, so he really needs his time outside with his son to feel connected to life. Hiking means to the world to us, plain and simple. Facing a challenging second pregnancy When I got pregnant with my second child, our whole world was turned upside down. I developed Hyperemesis Gravidarum at 5 weeks along. This is not your normal morning sickness. This is repeated and constant vomiting, for days or weeks on end. I mean puking up everything – including water. At 8 weeks, I was so dehydrated that I went to the ER to be rehydrated for the first time. My midwife put me on Zofran the next day, but it didn't help. At 26 weeks, I had been rehydrated for the 7th time and was on three medications daily to function, but I still vomited every other day. During that ER visit, they also found I had a UTI. I was prescribed an antibiotic and sent home to rest for a week. However, I didn’t listen; I wanted to be active with my family! After one morning out on the trail with Hike it Baby, I started to have intense Braxton-Hicks contractions. I called my midwife, who told me to come in right away. It turned out they were more than Braxton-Hicks because I was dilated to 1.5 cm. The next day I did a non-stress test and was diagnosed with an Irritable Uterus. This meant my uterus was contracting early under stress. My midwife said it could have been the repeated vomiting stressing my body, the associated dehydration, the nasty UTI that took weeks to get rid of or all of the above. I was put on modified bedrest. I did not have to stay off my feet all day, but was not allowed to do strenuous activities. Following orders to stay on bed rest We did go outside some – mostly to parks where I sat under on a bench and chased Jack only has needed. After a few weeks, I was having less contractions and was vomiting a little less, so I went out more. However, I really overdid it when we went camping. I broke the rules on the trip and wore Jack in a carrier for a mile down a hilly trail. I knew this might be the last time I wore him as my only child, but I wanted a photo to remember it. Unfortunately, I paid for it the next day. I got dehydrated, started to swell from mosquito bites, and my contractions kicked in big time. Can you guess what happened? Back to the ER it was. My midwife understood why I broke the rules, but she put me on real bedrest until delivery. This pregnancy was my rainbow baby, as we had a miscarriage a few months before, so I needed this baby. I had been through hell already and did not want to give up, so I took my midwife seriously this time. And it sucked. It was the middle of summer and hot as can be inside our apartment. Jack spent most days at my mom’s house so I could rest, which only made me feel lonelier. There were so many times I thought about sneaking out for a walk, but I had to keep it in perspective. I wanted to hike with my baby one day soon. As important as hiking is for everyone’s well-being both mentally and physically, it’s important to know when it’s actually endangering you or your baby’s health. I had to tell myself this was only temporary. There were lots of adventures in the future and I needed to make it to meet my new hiking buddy first. Curing the nature blues, albeit temporary I came up with a few things to cure my nature blues: Sit on the patio or front step. This helped me a lot. We only had a small patio, but it was on the second story facing into the forest behind the complex. I could see the squirrels and birds play, hear the creek in the distance, and feel a nice breeze. It wasn't quite the same as walking in the forest, but it was still a nice dose of nature. Once in awhile I did go sit at the park and watch Jack play, but I made sure my husband was with us to chase Jack. Being outside doesn’t always have to mean hiking. Make a baby trail bucket list. Rather than dwell on all that I was missing, I thought of how I could make up for it later. I made a list of all the trails and places I want to take my baby. It was fun to think of sharing my favorite trails and looking for new places. It gave me a reason to rest, knowing it would be worth it. Watch nature shows on TV. I know watching nature on TV does not have the same benefits as being out in it, but it helped me during my bed rest. I especially loved our local PBS station’s nature shows with highlights and features of all these wonderful places nearby, all waiting for my family to explore soon. Do gentle stretches on the couch or chair. Resting all day for a month makes you stiff and sore. I was approved by my midwife to do gentle stretches on the couch or chair to maintain muscle strength and prevent soreness. I often visualized doing yoga outside or hiking while I did it. It was a nice little mental escape from my apartment while helping my body stay healthy to get back on the trail soon. Paint or draw nature scenes. I drew nature scenes in a notebook when I needed the mental clarity that hiking provides. When your body is occupied with a task so your brain wonders and calms. It’s a wonderful time filler to make the days go by faster, too. Despite my best efforts, I did have premature labor due to dehydration. Bear was born a month early but we lucked out and avoided the NICU altogether. He was tiny but perfect. I was cleared for gentle walking right away so he went on his first Hike it Baby hike at 5 days old! He’s now a rambunctious 2-year-old who happily is tackling that trail bucket list with us. Read more: How to keep hiking throughout your pregnancy Pregnancy is not always a walk in the park Photos courtesy of Sam Reddy.